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Which is Faster? Loading files from the HC or the HC Sim?

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William Brillinger:
The question was raised on another thread a few days ago regarding the time it takes to transfer files with the CI-1/HC-SIM vs the HC-2.

I ran a few tests using the EMD 645 Turbo ULT File from Local Storage and I captured the process on video so I could accurately compare the times to load the files. If the video was in focus, I would post the video. It's not, so I won't. ;)

Here is what I found:

42:58 - RPA to HC-2B via USB    5:30 to 48:28
15:01 - HC-2B to LM-3S      0:36 to 15:35
----------
57:59 combined total time

10:32 - RPA to HC-SIM     3:12 to 13:44
36:10 - HC-SIM to LM-3S   0:41 to 36:51
----------
46:42 combined total time

These times only include the actual time to transfer the file.

Conclusion: The CI-1 is much slower at transferring files to the LM, but the HC-SIM is much faster at loading files from the RPA.

The key benefits of using the CI-1 remain:

* Saving battery power on the HC.
* Keeping the HC free for other tasks while loading files.
When loading program updates or smaller files, this speed discrepancy is much less noticeable.
I like to use both devices, in a tag team fashion, when there are new updates to apply or an updated sound file.
I prefer using the HC-SIM to load and program LM's and the HC-2 to test what I have done.

Cheers!

nodcc4me:
Interesting comparison Bill. So now the question, why does the file transfer, either way, have to take so long? Is it because it takes place outside of Windows? Other, large, unrelated Windows files can be downloaded in seconds.

William Brillinger:

--- Quote ---So now the question, why does the file transfer, either way, have to take so long?
--- End quote ---

That's a good question, and one I have asked myself for a long time. I think our Tim might have some insight into this as he has looked under the hood a fair bit.

I don't know why it takes so long to download files from Ring Engineering's server to the RPA (a spec not covered in my test), but in my mind, this should be super fast. These are not actually large files.

As for the time it takes to transfer files to the LM, I suspect that the answer lies in the speed of the radios being used and the HC & LM's memory write speed.

Alan:
Bill, additional info may be gleaned by watching Windows Resource Monitor - Network while running your tests. You could get some idea of the communication activity going on with Ring's server.

William Brillinger:
Here's the network load while downloading a prime mover file from Rings server:

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